Tips for a stress-free start to your first job

Worrying fails to accomplish anything, yet that doesn't stop people from doing it, especially when they start their first-ever full-time job. Here are some tips to make your first few days and weeks on the job as stress-free as possible:

Know that your worries are normal, but probably irrational

Everyone experiences doubts before they start a new job, and -- unfortunately -- those worries might be amplified for the first few days after you start. It would be unusual if you didn't ask questions of yourself like, "Am I right for this job?" "Can I handle these responsibilities?" and "Do my co-workers think I'm a fool?"

If you find yourself asking these questions, remember that your company hired you for a reason. As you are probably well-aware, companies do not take hiring someone for a full-time job lightly. They've reviewed your résumé, dissected your interview and decided that they want to pay you to work for them. Yes, you're going to make mistakes. Just try to learn from them and not make them again. As long as you put forth an effort during the workday and don't slack off, you should be fine.

If you feel overwhelmed, prioritize

You'll probably feel overwhelmed in the first few days or weeks of your job, because everything will be new to you. You'll probably have a number of things to get done that have been handed down to you by your supervisor, and possibly by several different people.

When you feel overwhelmed, prioritize. It's perfectly acceptable to go to your and say, "I have this, and this and this on my plate. I'll most definitely be getting them all done, but I wanted to know from you which task is the most important, and how I should prioritize these tasks." You will most likely have some tasks that take several hours, days or even weeks to complete. The people around you know this and, unless there's a specific deadline, aren't expecting you to get everything done in the first day or week.

Be on time

Be on time in the morning and don't make it a habit to leave early. If you have a doctor's appointment or another conflict, that's fine, but let your know as early as possible. If you know on Monday morning that you have a doctor's appointment on Thursday afternoon, tell your supervisor on Monday morning, not late Wednesday, and certainly not on Thursday. Also, before you leave work each day, go to your and ask him if there's anything else you can do before packing up your stuff. Sometimes you just want to get out, but your manager will really appreciate if you check in with him before you leave.
Gather a crew for lunch

On one hand, you can save a lot of money and eat more healthfully by bringing your lunch to work. Still, when you start out, try gathering a crew of fellow co-workers to eat with once or twice a week. Lunch break is a social time, and building relationships at your workplace is important. Not only will you be happier during the day if you like the people around you, it's also important for your job security; you want people to care about you and "have your back." As long as you act genuinely and give people a chance to get to know you, developing friendships should not be a problem.

By Danny Goldin Special to Career Builder

careerbuilder.com

The Importance of Goal Setting as an International Business Professional

Goal setting is an important part of any professional’s life, especially to an international business professional. Setting your goal, whether they are career goals, project goals, or even daily goals can make things go smoother and give you a check point to see how you are doing.

Setting daily goals can give you a wonderful way of staying focused during your busy day. Taking a moment at the beginning of the day to set your daily goals can give you a clear path and a place to start. If you set a list of goals for the day you have a list to refer back to during the day if you get side-tracked or pulled away. In addition, marking off your goals as you make your way through them can give you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in your job as an international business professional.

Project goals are a good way to keep a project on track. They can also be a good way of judging your timeline. Having a list of goals or milestones on a project can give you something to refer to as you prioritize project parts as well as delegate certain project aspects to colleagues. As an international business professional, having a list of goals and due dates will also help you keep the project moving. You may also want to keep your lists with completion dates in the project file to refer to if necessary in the future.

Having clearly defined career goals can be important. Though these goals may change during the course of your career as you better understand what you truly love to do and want to do in your career, having goals set can help you see what you are working so hard to try and accomplish. As an international business professional, understanding that you are putting in the long hours or taking on added responsibilities to work toward your goals is important. Having a list of your career goals gives you a reference when you need to stay focused.

Working Smarter in International Business

Being productive and organized are keys to being a successful international business professional. Whether you have been working in your field for years or just starting out, learning to work smarter can be a very important part of your day.

With so much competition for jobs today, ensuring you are valuable to your team and company is a sure-fire way to make certain that your job is not in jeopardy. Learning to work smarter and faster can help you be a key player for your company.

So what does working smarter mean? What working smarter means is that you are organized, concise and not wasteful of your time or the time of others. The best way to achieve this in your day is to be clear on your goals and organized in working toward meeting deadlines and goals.

Taking a few minutes at the beginning of each day to review your tasks, deadlines, and to-do list can help you get a clear picture of what needs to be accomplished in your day. You will then want to prioritize your tasks and possibly write down your list so you don’t get side-tracked or off course during your day. Taking a few minutes in the morning can make your day run more smoothly and keep you contributing to the success of your com by admin on

http://internationalbusinesstraining.org

International students get job search tips at seminar

Be part of the professional network including social media

The power of networking is great than you imagine. Participating professional networking events, seminars and tech conferences are great ways to network with people and recruiters

If you are wondering where you can find the recruiters and start networking in social media, then you are probably missing the extraordinary power of social media.

Millions of recruiters in Linkedin are actively discussing things and searching for candidates everyday

About 50 Northwestern students from all over the world met in Norris University Center Tuesday to learn about finding a job in the U.S.

The Job Search for International Students, a seminar sponsored by University Career Services, hosted lectures about how to turn being an international student into an advantage in the job market.

Manfred Bauer, a first-year Medill graduate student from Guatemala, said he attended the seminar to get a better understanding of the American job market.

"This is my first time jumping into the U.S. labor market and I want to find out more about it," said Bauer, who has been in the U.S. for a month.

During the seminar, UCS career counselor Christina Siders discussed basic challenges international students may face in looking for a job.

"Some employers may think that because students are here from elsewhere in the world, they may not be as committed as U.S. applicants," she told the audience. "Show them that you're interested in growing with the company."

Siders advised students to become familiar with what it takes to acquire an H1B, the visa that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ international workers. Some employers know nothing about the visa process, so it is the applicant's responsibility to have a basic knowledge of what he needs to work in the states, she said.

"(Employers) will assume an H1B is very complicated or expensive, and it's neither of these things," Siders said.

Siders also reviewed basic interview tips applicable to any student looking for a job such as making eye contact, writing thank-you notes and having a firm handshake. Employers have reported instances of the "limp Northwestern handshake," she said.

It can also be difficult for some foreign students to be confident with potential employers, she said.

"Self-marketing in interviews can seem arrogant at times, but that's the expectation here," Siders said. "That's a bit of a cultural shift for many international students."

Being an international student, however, is not automatically a drawback. Siders said many international students have skills that set them apart from other applicants, including multiple-language proficiency, a global perspective and adaptability.

Elena Chernyakova, a Communication senior from Russia, said she attended the seminar in anticipation of graduation.

"I'm looking for a job now instead of in the spring," she said. "At the very least, I'm looking for more information of where to look and how to get a head start."

No matter the student's origin, looking for a job in the current economy can be tough, so it's important to be proactive, Siders said.

"The pool of opportunity can be shallow," Siders told the audience. "Begin early."

By Devan Coggan

dailynorthwestern.com/

Career lessons from 5 of America's favorite reality stars

Believe it or not, reality TV stars can be more for us than a guilty pleasure. In fact, they can even teach us a thing or two, and not just about being a drama queen.

Now that more reality stars have begun to stretch their 15 minutes of fame into entertainment empires, many of them can teach us valuable lessons about business, personal branding and careers.

Don't believe us? Read 'em and weep.

1. Chelsea Handler

Career lesson: Challenge yourself

Chelsea Handler got her start in the Oxygen reality series "Girls Behaving Badly" in 2008. Since then, she has managed to build a multimedia empire, going from successful late-night TV show host to comedian to author. Not only was she the host of the 2010 MTV Music Awards -- the first woman to host since 1994 -- that same year, she also became a three-time best-selling author. And finally, Handler was able to secure a comedy tour based on her books, as icing on the cake.

Handler reminds everyone that there's no limit to what you can do. Always challenge yourself to take the next step or try something new in your career -- you'll never know until you try.

2. Simon Cowell

Career lesson: Be authentic

Simon Cowell is the man everyone loves to hate. While the music and entrepreneur was often criticized for being too harsh on contestants as a judge on "American Idol," no one can fault him for being honest. Although it makes us mad on one hand, on the other hand, we might secretly agree with him.

Like the co-worker everyone looks to as the group voice, Cowell can teach job seekers and employees alike to stay true to who they are. Be true to your passions and talents, and be honest. (Except maybe do it with a little more tact.)

3. Lauren Conrad

Career lesson: Take advantage of your platform

Lauren Conrad got her career start on MTV's "Laguna Beach" and then "The Hills." Although she's no longer on TV, Conrad piggybacked off her newfound fame and became an author and

Conrad's career success teaches everyone to take a chance when you're given one. She was picked at random out of hundreds of high school kids to be on her first television show, and things only got better from there. So take the extra project, take the position when you're offered it. You never know what will happen.

4. Ryan Seacrest

Career lesson: Hard work pays off

Although he catches flak for being a "pretty boy," Ryan Seacrest is one of the hardest-working guys in the biz. Seacrest has built his brand -- and then some. You can find him hosting "E! News" or "American Idol" -- and if he's not doing that, he's interviewing the hottest celebrities for his syndicated show or producing hit shows like "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."

Have you ever heard the saying "You get what you give?" Successful careers don't blossom overnight, and Seacrest's success reminds us of that. No matter what you do in your career, ambition and hard work can sometimes get you further than anything else.

5. Bethenny Frankel

Career lesson: Grow your brand

After getting her start on reality TV as a finalist on "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart," Bethenny Frankel is another example of star who took advantage of her platform for success. She has acknowledged joining her next reality gig, "The Real Housewives of New York," purely for business and to plug her products. From there, the former natural-foods has built up her empire to comprise the popular Skinnygirl cocktail line, a successful publishing a workout DVD and other Skinnygirl-brand products. She recently sold her cocktail line for $120 million dollars.

Frankel has always been transparent about her intentions to succeed. Her business model is simple: solve a problem. From there, anything is possible.

Rachel Farrell researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.

By Rachel Farrell,

careerbuilder.com

Job Search Tips

Is your job search off to a slow start or stuck in a rut? These time-saving tips will help you jump start your job search and get into gear.

Job Search Advice

Given the concerns about the economy, new jobless claims up to over 400,000 last week and record high it shouldn't be a surprise that employee confidence in the job market and the ability to find a new job has declined.

Employment Confidence Survey reports that 56% of employed adults and 91% of unemployed adults survey think the recent volatility in the economy and financial markets will impact their career, job or job search.

When it comes to losing a job, employees are actually more worried about their co-workers than themselves. Employee concerns over being laid off themselves dropped to 16%, but 32% are concerned about co-workers being laid off in the next six months.

As far as finding a new job, 36% of unemployed job seekers report they are uncertain whether they will be able to find a job in six months. 33% of employees and self-employed workers believe it is unlikely they would be able to find a job matched to their experience and compensation levels in six months.

One way to alleviate concerns about whether you'll lose your job and how long it will take to find another position is to. Regardless of how good a job you do and how highly regarded you are by the company you work for, companies sometimes have to make tough decisions. Those decisions often involve staff cutbacks.

If you have an up-to-date (and, no, resumes are not obsolete regardless of what some people think), a draft you can tweak to match the jobs you're applying for, a that will attract recruiters and a strong base of networking connections, you'll be positioned to job search immediately - if and when you have to.

Even though losing your job can happen to anyone, the better prepared you are to find a new job, the easier it will be to find one and, sometimes, a layoff can be the push in the right direction you need to find a new and better job and career path.

The minimum wage will increase in eight states with minimum wages which adjust each year to keep pace with inflation. Colorado, Montana, Ohio, Oregon and Washington have announced increases effective January 1, 2012. Arizon, Florida and Vermont will be announcing minimum wage increases soon.

States With Minimum Wage Increases

• Arizona - TBD
• Colorado - $7.64
• Florida - TBD
• Montana - $7.65
• Ohio - $7.70
• Oregon - $8.80
• Washington - $9.04
• Vermont - TBD

The is $7.25 for covered non-exempt employees with some exceptions for certain types of workers, but, as you can see some states pay more than the minimum. Use the Department of Labor's to get information on the minimum wage in your location and information on when employers must pay overtime.

There are many options for getting career advice and resume and cover letter writing help online.

It's a time saving way to get career assistance, but it's important to choose the right counseling or resume writing service so you are sure you are receiving qualified and quality assistance.

There are many websites and individuals that offer fee-based expert career advising and services. When utilizing these it's important to consider who is an expert and how they are qualified to help you. Some are credentialed professional career counselors or resume writers. Others are not.

Wednesday October 5, 2011

September job cuts were 126% higher than August, according to the latest report on monthly job cuts from global outplacement firm with 155,730 layoffs last month.

Layoffs were 212% higher than last September, when employers announced just 37,151 job cuts. Last month's total is the highest since April 2009, when 132,590 job cuts were announced.

This is not good news, obviously. However, what makes it really bad news is that even though there hasn't been significant job growth, companies weren't laying off workers in large numbers - until now.

The increase in the number of layoffs means the economy is losing jobs again and not creating enough new jobs to offset the losses. The unemployment rate will go up and there will be even more unemployed workers competing for every single job opening.

To compound this situation, the federal long term unemployment benefits (up to 99 weeks for some unemployed workers), leaving the newly unemployment with state unemployment benefits of up to 26 weeks unless legislation is passed to reinstate them.

about.com

The Good News About Career Transitions In Today's Economy

An economy wracked by layoffs and downsizing, finding a often means changing career paths. Despite the financial strain and emotional turbulence that comes with job changes, there is good news. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Hiring Now

Today's economy is complex, requiring all sorts of skills in all sectors, from high-tech to manufacturing to health care. Recent studies indicate that hundreds of thousands of well-paid skilled jobs go unfilled because employers simply can't find enough people to fill those jobs. As a result, hundreds of skills training programs, schools, unions and employers themselves across the nation are providing easy-to-access training to meet the need. The cost to our economy due to unfilled skilled jobs is in the hundreds of billions and climbing. Take heart in this challenge -- America needs you!

My friend Matthew B. Crawford's book, covers a wide range of topics around the central theme that working with your hands (and brain and heart) is tremendously satisfying and teaches important life lessons that improve our communities. A college professor, Crawford nevertheless lays out the case that a college degree alone without a connection to a life skill can cause unhappiness and discontent. In an economy with millions of college graduates, it's time to consider working with your hands and heart.

The devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Irene teaches us an important lesson. Without skilled workers, electric power doesn't get restored, roads and bridges aren't repaired, ports and waterways aren't cleared for commerce, basic services remain offline, and planes, trains and automobiles sit idle. There is nothing "low" about a skilled job and career. They're essential, which makes skilled workers essential.

While not all skilled jobs require a four-year college degree, many do. All skilled jobs require training, however. In some instances, the required training for licensing or apprenticing in a particular field may be as little as a six weeks to put you on a new There are thousands of training programs and technical education opportunities available across America -- and with the national spotlight on jobs and skills today, newly acquired skills provide tremendous potential job security in our evolving economy. Remember that hundreds of thousands of skilled jobs are unfilled today, and potentially 10 to 20 million skilled jobs will go unfilled by 2020.

In a recent survey by Manpower Group, employers said they had the most trouble filling jobs that required hands-on skills due to lack of qualified applicants. At the top of the "most wanted list" are technicians, machinists, electricians and other trade professionals, and nurses, with hundreds of other hands-on jobs across all sectors requiring qualifications rounding out the wish list.

It's worth repeating that essential, hands-on technical and trade work cannot be outsourced, nor can the jobs be shipped overseas. That's job security in today's economy.

So let's get down to brass tacks. There are a host of resources available to get you connected to skills training and apprenticeship programs. I serve on the board of Center for America, which is hosting a yearlong national campaign promoting skills training with the goal of 10 million skilled jobs by 2020. Start by signing the and link to hundreds of programs and schools posted on the website (AOL and Huffington Post have likewise compiled resources through this important series. See what others are saying about career transitions into hands-on jobs at sites like It's a perfect fit -- America needs a skilled essential workforce, and millions of Americans are seeking new jobs. Let's get going!

By John Ratzenberger

aol.com/

15 Stunning Statistics About the Jobs Market

Next week, the Labor Department will release its much-anticipated monthly jobs report. Last month, the economy added exactly zero jobs overall, and 14 million Americans still remain unemployed. Economists expect September's numbers to be a slight improvement, but not enough to make a noticeable dent in the unemployment rate. In the meantime, here are 15 statistics about the jobs market that put the jobs crisis in perspective:

1. 9.1 percent. Today's unemployment rate is the highest it has been since 1982.

2. 131.1 million. The total number of jobs held by Americans in August. In January 2000, total nonfarm employment stood at 130.8 million. That means that over the past decade or so, less than 400,000 jobs have been added overall. At the same time, the eligible work-age population (those older than age 16, who are not in the military or prison) has grown by 28 million.

3. 58 percent. That's the number of workers currently employed as a percentage of the work-age population. In December 2007, it was 63 percent. "Particularly in an economy where multiple-earner households are an important element, that drop of about 5 percentage points equates to several million people who want jobs, who would like to have jobs, but for whom there are no jobs available," says Patrick O'Keefe, director of economic research at accounting firm J.H. Cohn and former deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Labor.

4. 11.5 million. Currently, there are 11.5 million fewer job holders than there were in 2007 before the recession began. "That's the true depth of our jobs deficit," O'Keefe says.

5. 6 million. That's how many workers have been out of work for at least six months and have looked for a job within the last 30 days. They are called the "long-term unemployed." This group accounts for 43 percent of the total number of unemployed. "That's the most striking statistic," says Stacey Schreft, director of investment strategy for the Mutual Fund Store, an investment firm in Overland Park, Kan. "Even though we have unemployment rates that were comparable to the '81-'83 recession, we didn't have long-term unemployment anywhere close to this."

6. 40 weeks. The average duration of unemployment is almost a full year.

7. 16.7 percent. The unemployment crisis has affected races differently. This is the unemployment rate for blacks. Compare that with 11.3 percent for Hispanics and 8 percent for whites.

8. 25.4 percent. Young people have also been hard-hit. About a quarter of teenagers are unemployed. In comparison, the unemployment rate for adult men is 8.9 percent, and for adult women, it's 8.0 percent.

9. 250,000 to 300,000. That's the estimated number of jobs many economists say the economy needs to add monthly to begin to push down the unemployment rate over the long term. Since the so-called "jobs recovery" began in March 2010, the first month the private sector added jobs since the recession, an average of 105,000 jobs have been added per month, well below the number needed to see a significant impact on the jobless rate. O'Keefe estimates that the economy needs to add about 175,000 jobs per month just to maintain the employment rate. "If we're not adding about 175,000 jobs per month, our employable population is losing ground. Whether they're unemployed or discouraged job seekers, they're not getting work," he says.

10. 2.6 million. That's the number of people who are considered marginally attached to the labor force, up 200,000 from a year earlier. According to the Labor Department: "These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the four weeks preceding the survey."

By Ben Baden

.usnews.com

Along with Lack of Jobs, A Wage Problem

It's not just the paucity of jobs that's hurting Americans, it's also the wages workers are paid for the jobs that do exist. For the average worker, earnings adjusted for inflation have decreased over the last few decades. And while the July jobs report shows some improvement, the Labor Department reported Friday, the economy has a long way to go before workers can command higher salaries.

The unemployment rate inched down to 9.1 percent in July, with 117,000 jobs created—more than expected but still far fewer than necessary to fuel a robust recovery. Meanwhile, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 10 cents to $23.13, bringing the increase in average hourly earnings over the last year to 2.3 percent. But that figure is not adjusted for inflation. For job seekers, it will continue to be difficult to earn higher salaries until there are more jobs to go around.

"We want higher wages for people who are working, but the most important problem is the high level of unemployment," says Michael Greenstone, professor of economics at MIT and director of the at The Brookings Institution, a non-partisan think tank. "Once more people become employed, labor markets will become tighter, and wages will increase."

Median wages for two-parent families have increased 23 percent since 1975, according to a study by The Hamilton Project co-authored by Greenstone. But the increase is nearly entirely due to women working more hours outside the home. Men's earnings have been on the decline, not just throughout the recession but during the last 40 years, a trend authors of the report attribute to stagnant wages, declining employment, and a lack of growth in college attainment for men. The median earnings of men have declined by 28 percent between 1969 and 2009, the Project reports.

July's job growth stemmed from health care, which grew by 31,000; retail, which added 26,000 jobs; and manufacturing, mainly in durable goods, which grew by 24,000. Professional and technical services added 18,000 jobs, and mining rose by 9,000.

Overall, private employment rose by 154,000. But government employment continued to trend down, cutting into the overall growth with a loss of 37,000 jobs.

While an increase of 117,000 jobs is better than expected, it's still far below the 350,000 or so jobs economists say we need to add each month over the next three years to bring unemployment down to around 6 percent.

"Given that expectations had fallen so low, even a snail could've jumped over the expectations," says Patrick O'Keefe, director of economic research at accounting firm and former deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Labor.

Job-growth revisions for the last two months were positive. Total employment for May was revised to 53,000 from 25,000, and June's increase was revised to 46,000 from 18,000, the Labor Department reported.

Another recent study, this one by the National Employment Law Project, found that low-paying jobs have dominated employment growth during the recovery, while jobs that pay more have been added at a far slower pace. The organization calls this the "good jobs deficit."

"Workers in the labor market right now are getting hit twice," says Annette Bernhardt, policy co-director at the "They're looking at largely low-wage jobs in terms of what's out there, and they're looking at jobs that have seen stagnant and even declining wages."

But we can't blame the loss of mid-wage jobs on the recession; those positions have been disappearing since long before the economic downturn. Between the first quarter of 2001 and that same quarter in 2008, mid-wage occupations accounted for just 6.2 percent of net employment growth, the Project reports. The rest came from lower- and higher-wage occupations.

By Alexis Grant

.usnews.com

Job Shadowing Tips Checklist for Teens, Students

While she was in high school and college, Sarah took every opportunity to shadow a variety of professionals in her quest to narrow her career choice. Job shadowing gave her a small, but critical, window into the day-to-day operations of a number of different careers. In a few instances, she also gained a key person she could add to her network to seek further advice, career tips, and internship and job information.

Job shadowing simply consists of a day (or part of a day) spent observing a professional as she or he goes about his or her job. It's a great opportunity to learn more about a career and a chance to practice interacting with adults on a professional level.

Many high schools and colleges help their students get placed in a job shadow, but you can also be proactive and set up your own job-shadowing experiences. Find some tips at the end of this article.

How can you make certain your job-shadowing experiences are best -- for both you and the professional you are shadowing? Follow these job-shadowing tips.

Critical Job Shadowing Tips

• Confirm time and location of the job-shadowing location.
• Map out job-shadow location and allow extra time to ensure you are not late.
• Dress appropriately – dress as though you are going on a job interview. You don't need to wear a suit, but no t-shirts and shorts either.
• Use proper personal hygiene (deodorant, mouthwash, etc.) and don't go overboard on the cologne or perfume.
• Research your job-shadow employer/organization and host to better prepare you for the day. Go to the organization's Website and conduct a search using its name to find other news.
• Develop a list of questions you could ask your job shadowing host/mentor. You could even consider sending a list of the questions you most wanted answered ahead of time so your host can prepare answers. [See,
• Take a notepad, laptop, or recorder to record observations and insights.
• Understand and use basic table manners in case your shadowing experience involves a meal.
• Consider your career aspirations and be prepared to answer questions about your interests and goals.
• Prepare for changes -- things could happen that might end the shadowing sooner than expected. If something like this happens, react positively, and ask about possibly rescheduling for a better time.
• Strive to have a positive outlook and make the best of the shadowing experience. If you don't like the shadowing experience, avoid making it obvious and do your best to make it through smiling.
• Turn off your cell phone and resist the urge to text, tweet, or update your Facebook status.
• Make good first impressions. As you introduce yourself -- or get introduced -- shake hands with everyone you meet, smile, and make good eye contact.
• Find common ground and attempt to establish a good rapport with your host.
• Address people as Mr. or Ms. or Dr. unless they tell you otherwise.
• Act professionally throughout the job-shadowing experience, showing your enthusiasm and appreciation.
• Listen and learn as much as possible during the shadowing.
• Participate/attend as many activities/meetings/events during the shadow experience.
• Ask to experience as much as possible -- from meeting workers in related career fields to a tour of the facilities.
• Gather business cards from the people you meet so that you can add them to your network -- and to thank them for taking time from their work to meet with you.
• Thank each person you spend time with during the shadow -- and follow up with an emailed thank-you note after you've completed the shadow experience.

Final Thoughts
Having a good attitude and a sense of humor, along with a healthy dose of curiosity mixed with respect, should help you have a successful and rewarding job shadowing experience. Thanking and following up with the people you meet could also result in additional job-shadowing or other positive experiences that can help you with your career choice.

Finally, if your school does not offer a shadowing program -- or does not have the contacts for your career field, consider taking the initiative to create your own. Here are a few tips.

First, ask your family, friends, and neighbors if they know anyone working in the career field you want to shadow.

Second, research organizations that employ people in the career field you want to shadow.

Third, contact the people from your network and/or organizations to request a shadow experience. You can achieve this task by phone or letter/email. See a

Fourth, after you have received confirmation of your job shadow request, contact the person you are shadowing and reconfirm the date and time of your shadow -- as well as the exact address and location.

See also the tips, tools, and advice we offer in our

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

quintcareers.com/j

Best Careers 2011: Business Jobs

Business jobs, including those in finance, continue to offer solid opportunities. Sales manager is new to our list this year, because as the economy picks up, so do sales. Companies are increasingly turning to public relations specialists for help as they recognize the importance of managing their public image. And more companies are investing in employee development by hiring training specialists, who focus on professional development or bringing new employees up to speed with their responsibilities.

In the finance sector, where consumers look for advice on retirement and companies seek analysis on investments, the outlook is still good for occupations like personal financial adviser, financial analyst, and accountant.

Financial Analyst

The rundown:

Poring over financial earnings statements and scrutinizing companies to their core is how you'll spend much of your time as a financial analyst. You'll most likely be employed by an investment bank, insurance company, mutual fund, pension fund, or securities firm, and your job will be to gauge the performance, health, and value of companies in which the company may want to invest. Analysts generally develop expertise in a particular slice of the economy, be it an industry, country, or asset class such as bonds. You may work on the "buy side," for heavyweights such as hedge funds or universities with hefty endowments and plenty of money to invest, or the "sell side," advising a brokerage on whether to, in turn, tell its clients to buy, hold, or sell a stock.

The outlook:

Employment of financial analysts is expected to grow by 20 percent between 2008 and 2018, much faster than the average for all professions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That means another 49,600 positions in addition to the 250,600 that existed in 2008. But competition for these jobs is still fierce, particularly for new analysts.

Money:

The paycheck is good. Median annual earnings—including bonuses, which can make up a large chunk of total earnings—were $73,670 in May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The top earners pulled in more than $139,350.

Upward mobility:

You'll get a leg up by obtaining a certification such as chartered financial analyst or taking advanced courses in subjects related to your specialty. The ambitious—and, in most cases, talented—can look forward to taking on larger responsibilities and advancing to supervisory positions. The best of the best may become fund managers.

Activity level:

This is not a 9-to-5 job. Be prepared for your work days to run into the night. Analyzing companies requires wading through an avalanche of research, so you'll spend plenty of time in the office. But your job isn't entirely sedentary: Assessing a company's health often involves traveling to meet with management in person.

Stress level:

Keeping abreast of industry trends and new regulations, dissecting multiple companies' financials, leafing through piles of research, and monitoring the economy can be overwhelming and require long hours.

Education and preparation:

A bachelor's degree is a must—preferably in finance, business administration, accounting, statistics, or economics—and many financial analysts pursue a master's degree in finance or business administration. A license may be required, but most are sponsored by an employer.

Real advice from real people about landing a job as a financial adviser:

While numbers are a big part of the job, Karen Klugh of the American Financial Services Association urges aspiring analysts not to ignore business etiquette skills, in order to "become more polished." Young adults, she says, often focus so heavily on technology as a means of communication that they forget how to network and relate to people on a more personal, face-to-face level. She suggests classes and career workshops to boost those social skills.

By Kimberly Palmer Kimberly Palmer

.usnews.com/

Just Do It! Six Reasons to Ride a Bike or Walk to Work

As an avid walker and bike-rider, I have to admit that I am biased in my views about biking or walking to work -- but I am also an excellent case-study of someone who has become much healthier since taking up biking and walking several years ago. I also spent the last year biking to and from my job at a local university.

So... why should you buy those new walking shoes or invest in a good bike? Here are my six reasons for riding a bike or walking to work:

1. It's efficient. Biking or walking to work allows you to accomplish two things with the same activity. First, choosing to bike or walk solves the issue of how to get to work. Second, by biking or walking you improve your health, fitness, and mental outlook. In fact, biking or walking to work is both efficient and effective.

2. It's healthful. There's no question that walking or biking to work at a decent pace (no need to set records here) provides excellent cardiovascular exercise, offering many health benefits, including weight loss, muscle tone development, as well as lowering your blood pressure and stress levels while also reducing your risk of heart attack, hypertension, osteoporosis, and type II diabetes.

3. It's cheap. Consider the gas, tolls, parking, and upkeep on a car or the monthly bus or train pass you are currently paying versus the cost of walking or biking to work. You may need to invest in a new pair of walking shoes or a better bike, but once you've made that purchase, you have minimal additional costs. And if you're really lucky and work for an organization that has a workplace wellness program, you may even be able to get the shoes or bike at a reduced price -- or even free.

4. It's rewarding. Besides the psychological benefits of feeling better about yourself, walking or biking to work also offers very clear mental benefits -- from adrenaline and endorphins -- that boost your mood and provide you with a sense of well-being. Because it's often a solitary experience, walking or biking also provides opportunities for deep thoughts that tap into your creative side, leading to new ideas and ways to solve problems.

5. It's green. You don't have to be a diehard environmentalist to appreciate that by walking or biking to work you are doing something to personally reduce the negative impact of other forms of transportation. One expert states that for every four miles ridden on a bicycle (or walked presumably), you are keeping 15 pounds of pollutants out of the atmosphere. No fossil fuels, no ozone depletion, no deadly pollutants.

6. It's fun. Driving to or from work is often stressful (or at best boring), while biking or walking is always an adventure. It's relaxing -- especially on the way home -- to know you have had another good day at work and are now helping yourself live a longer and healthier life by biking or walking. And no matter where you live, you're bound to encounter people or things in nature that make you appreciate life.

Final Thoughts
Learn how to get started biking or walking to work by reading these articles:

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

quintcareers.com/

Seven Tips to Stay Sane at Work

When and rude customers are getting on your nerves, there are healthy and not-so-healthy ways to react. Experts offer seven tips on how to roll with the punches (without throwing any!) when threatens your mental health.

1. Stay Calm

The average person faces around 30 frustrations (or minicrises) every day, and a high proportion of those frustrations occur at work, says St. Paul-based licensed psychologist Anna Maravelas, founder of Thera Rising, a conflict resolution and organizational development consultancy, and author of But overreacting to a faulty copy machine or an insulting colleague by going into high-drama mode and losing your temper will end up hurting far more than it helps. The cortisone, adrenaline and other chemicals released when you have a temper tantrum will linger for at least two hours after your outburst, Maravelas says. “You don’t want to bring all that toxic energy home with you,” she says.

2. Have Some Empathy

Remember, those 30 daily frustrations aren’t just happening to you, but to every person you encounter during your workday, from the rude customer (who isn’t always right, by the way) to your flighty boss. “People are worried about their kids, mortgage, job loss and health insurance,” Maravelas says. With so many stressors in the world today, she suggests cutting people some slack and assuming there’s a reason they’re not behaving perfectly. “Be hard on the problem, but soft on the people,” she says. “That creates positive reciprocity. They’ll remember how you gave them the benefit of the doubt and will pay you back someday when you need it.”

3. Tune Out

Another technique for managing stress is to simply limit your exposure to office drama. “Close your door if you have a door, or close your mind if you have a mind,” says Simma Lieberman, an Albany, California-based organizational development consultant. “Unless you find it cathartic to get into arguments, when you feel tempted to get involved in office politics, plug in your iPod or music player, stick your headphones in you ears, and just act oblivious.”

4. Perfect the Art of the Blow Off

Don’t get sucked into conversations with irritating coworkers. If someone walks up to you to purposely get a rise out of you, Lieberman says, a good response is, “Wow, really. I’ve got to get back to work. See you later.” If they’re say, “Wow, interesting, but I’ve got to go,” or “Why are you saying that?” If they’re just always in your face, trying to interact socially (like a grandma constantly showing photos of her grandkids or selling their cookies), walk away or -- better yet -- ask them to do a favor for you. “They’ll run away,” Lieberman says.

5. Break the Bad Mood Cycle

Good moods at work are contagious, but so are bad moods, says Long Island-based Debbie Mandel, author of and a radio host and stress-management expert. “You don’t have to internalize a colleague’s bad mood,” she says. “Either physically move away to break the or else get immersed in your work because negativity is contagious.”

6. Look for Humor

Mandel is also a believer in humor as a stress reliever at work. “Don’t take yourself and everyone else so seriously,” she says. “Pretend it’s a sitcom. If it happens to someone else on TV, we’re laughing, but when it happens to us, we take everything so seriously.” So have a little People who make others laugh are “positive magnets who are the life of the party,” Mandel says. Even something as simple as putting up a funny screen saver can lighten your mood and others’ moods.

7. Close the Door at the End of the Day

Don’t leave issues unresolved at the end of your workday. “If you’ve made a mistake or gotten into a hassle, take the time to apologize in a nonobsequious way,” Lieberman says. “If you go home with stuff left unresolved, it’s hard to feel sane.” On your way home, visualize the door to your workplace closed, and start thinking about what you’re looking forward to at home,” Lieberman says. Then, start fresh the next morning. Mandel agrees. “Every day is a new chance to shine,” she says. “The slate is clean. It’s a new beginning, a fresh start.”

By Megan Malugani, Monster Contributing Writer

monster.com

4 Ways to Maximize Your Career Achievement

I don’t know you, but there is one thing about you that I am 99.99% certain of, and that is that you have mind-bogglingly huge potential, both in what you can achieve in your career (and life) and the difference you can make in the world. Why do I think that? Because we all do.

And if you’re anything like most of us, you’re nowhere near living fully up to that potential. Picture yourself at the center of a sphere. The outer edges of that sphere represent what you see as realistically within reach. It’s what you can achieve based on your current efforts and perspective. But those outer edges don’t represent your actual potential. They simply represent the potential you’re currently creating. And since you are creating that potential, that means you can also expand it. Here are four ways to do that.

Make unreasonable requests. Some time ago I was talking with a friend of mine, author and management consultant Lisa Haneberg, who mentioned that she was heading off to pick up a high-profile business guru from the airport. “Wow,” I said, “How did you swing that?” She replied, “It was one of my unreasonable requests.”

Each week she makes it a point to make several requests to which she has no reasonable expectation of getting an affirmative response. In this case, she discovered that this author and entrepreneur was coming to town for a talk and she reached out and asked if he needed a ride from the airport. He said sure.

Her philosophy is that a certain percentage of those requests, maybe one in ten, will get a yes. So if she makes five unreasonable requests each week, every two weeks something new will open up. And who knows what possibilities any of those might create?

There’s no risk involved. By definition, she expects to hear a no to her request, so she doesn’t feel rejected when she hears it. It’s just a confirmation of what she already suspected. But every once in a while, she gets an unexpected yes. There’s nothing but upside.

Have a burning vision. Every time I talk to Brian Johnson, founder of the en*theos Academy for Optimal Living, I’m struck by how much of both his thinking and his action is inspired by his burning vision for what he wants to create and the positive change he wants to see. More than that, I’m struck by how inspiring it is to me. I find myself wanting to support what he’s doing.

Having that burning vision does a number of things. It gives him a focal point around which to organize his efforts, and it helps him recognize opportunities that support that burning vision. It also inspires other people to want to help him, and helps them recognize opportunities to do so.

Brian is an entrepreneur, but you don’t have to be an entrepreneur to have a burning vision for what you want to create. You simply need clarity. What do you want to achieve? What energizes and inspires you? What goals are you trying to reach? The better you understand that, the better you can use that insight to focus your efforts, get traction, and recognize opportunities.

Second guess your nay-saying. There’s a saying, “don’t believe everything you think.” When it comes to meeting your full potential, that saying is incredibly relevant. Why? Because most people have a built-in nay-sayer. Its knee-jerk response is to say, “No, that’s not possible. No, I can’t do that. No, that’s not realistic.”

The trouble is, often that nay-sayer is just flat-out wrong. Sometimes that error is obvious, like when you don’t think something is possible but you try it anyway, only to find that it was easier than you thought. Other times the nay-sayer actually does seem to be right, but you realize that, with a little effort, creativity, patience, persistence, etc., it really is possible.

Sometimes, of course, your nay-sayer truly is accurate. But if you just listen to it automatically without questioning its assessment, you’ll cheat yourself of opportunities. Instead of buying into it immediately, second-guess your nay-sayer. Ask, “Is that really true?” Test it out. Look for ways that it might be false. Explore and stay open.

Find your boundaries—and ignore them. Each of us has an innate sense of what is and isn’t possible for us. We have a perception of who we are, and what we can achieve. Whether we realize it or not, we’re operating within the boundaries of what is realistic for us. But typically those boundaries are nothing more than self-generated illusions. We decide that those boundaries are the outer limits, and so we don’t move past them.

Each of us has different boundaries. What feels possible for one person might feel completely out of reach for another. What feels scary for one person might feel as natural as breathing for another. If you want to expand your potential, first figure out what your boundaries are.

A great place to start is to look at a dream, something you would love to do, but that feels somehow out of reach. Then imagine really going for it. Where do you feel resistance? Why does it feel impossible, or at least improbable? What is it about you that wouldn’t let you turn that dream into reality?

Once you get a better picture of those boundaries, ignore them. Too many people have created the career and the life they want to create in the face of enormous obstacles for it to really be impossible. Ask yourself, “How do I expand this boundary? How do I develop the belief that I can do this, or achieve that? What skill would help me? Who could support my efforts? What small steps would help me build the foundation? How can I move past this?”

Resist the effort to feel like you need to take one huge and mighty leap into your full potential. You won’t. Instead, explore where those self-imposed boundaries are and find ways to keep nudging them outwards.

After years as a professional malcontent, discovered the power of passion. As speaker, author, and coach, Rosengren helps people create careers that energize and inspire them. His book, 101 Ways to Get Wild About Work, and his E-book, The Occupational Adventure Guide, offer people tools for turning dreams into reality. Rosengren's blog, explores how to craft a life of meaning, abundance, and passion.

By Curt Rosengren

usnews.com

Self-Defeating Attitudes Will Stop Your Job Search Cold

Your attitude could be killing your job search right now.

Sometimes, a job seeker's mind-set, especially if you've been searching for a while, can be a deal breaker in the eyes of employers. Here are four common examples taken from th as well as some tips on how to overcome them.

Entitlement

From the Message Board: "I went to school for four years, and I think I deserve a good job."

What to Do? Think about what the word "deserve" really means. The definition breaks down into two parts:

• You did or accomplished something that should be rewarded.
• There's someone out there who agrees and is willing to reward you.

You need to come to terms with the second part of the definition. Yes, you've accomplished something by earning your degree and gaining skills and experience through internships or part-time jobs. But a prospective employer will ask, "So what? How are you any different from the millions of other people who have done the same thing?"

Employers are not interested in who deserves the job, but rather who is best for the position. Is this fair? You bet it is. It's a basic reality in the workplace, which means the longer you hang on to the "I deserve a job" attitude, the longer you'll go without a place to work.

Lack of Focus

From the Message Board: "I have no idea what I really want to do with my life after I graduate or any specific place I want to go. I am open to anything."

What to Do? You might believe that employers would love to hire a person who is willing to do almost anything that needs to be done. You would be wrong. Most employers view the flexible new college grad as someone who is simply unfocused and directionless, and thus a high-risk hire.

If you've fallen into the "I'll do anything" trap, you need to switch gears and work toward developing focus and specific job goals. This isn't easy or quick in many cases, but it is doable. Get help from knowledgeable resources: campus career counselors, professors and people working in fields that interest you.

Why Won't Employers Give Me a Chance?

From the Message Board: "I feel basically devalued by employers and like people aren't willing to give me a chance," and "How am I supposed to get experience when nobody will give me a chance?"

What to Do? To overcome the give me a chance" attitude, you need to teach yourself to think like an employer, someone who pays money to someone else to perform a certain job.

As the employer, are you concerned about giving chances to people? Of course not. You're concerned with meeting your needs and those of the business or organization. An employer's main concern when interviewing prospective employees will always be: What can you do for me and my company?

Start thinking like an employer, and you'll understand why this attitude makes no sense in the eyes of the person doing the hiring.

Anger and Despair

From the Message Board: "I just feel my life has been a total waste, and I have no sense of direction. Some days it's just damn hard to keep fighting and trying to make something of myself and actually find a job where my degree comes in handy."

What to Do? If you've been looking for a job without success, it's reasonable that you might feel down. But if you don't deal with the problem, you'll likely continue experiencing -- and feeling -- defeat.

Get some help from a counselor, a therapist or another professional who can help you regain your perspective. Of all the self-defeating attitudes described here, this one is the most poisonous -- to your career and your life in general. You need to deal with this, along with any of the rest of these toxic mind-sets, to give yourself the best chance of landing the job you really want.

By Peter Vogt, Monster Senior Contributing Writer

.monster.com/

How to Make a Career Back-Up Plan

Nicole Crimaldi started her blog, as a "passion project"—something to play with when she wasn't working hard at her commercial banking job. She woke up before dawn to work on it from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. every day before heading to the office, and slowly began earning money through speaking engagements, advertising, and consulting, all focused on helping young women get ahead in their careers.

[In Pictures:

"We've lived through Enron and September 11, and you never know what's going to happen, so when you have a little side thing, you have more control," says Crimaldi, 27, who lives in Chicago. "You can't think that your company is responsible for your well-being," she adds. One of her most popular speaking topics is what she calls "career insurance," in which she teaches participants how to build their social networks and develop more than one revenue stream.

Suddenly, several weeks ago, Crimaldi got laid off, and was forced to apply those lessons to her own life. She decided to work full time on her website; she's now expanding into other services, events, and e-products. In a way, she says, the layoff was a blessing because it allowed her to pursue her longtime dream of self-employment.

Crimaldi represents an increasingly visible group in the workforce today. Instead of waiting for pink slips that sometimes seem inevitable, workers are creating "Plan Bs" before they have to, developing independent streams of revenue that can replace, at least partially, full-time jobs. These workers are often entrepreneurial, socially-networked, and work in creative, knowledge-based fields. "One reason freelancing is so popular is because it's so quick. You don't need anyone's permission, and start-up costs are extremely low," says James Clear, founder of the personal-finance website.

However small, that second income stream can offer workers some measure of financial protection. A recent survey by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies found that underemployed workers are less likely to make withdrawals from their retirement accounts than unemployed workers, suggesting a lesser degree of financial stress. [See:

J. Money, the pseudonym of the blogger behind popular personal finance blog, had been steadily building his website when he was laid off from his graphic design job last December. His website was already generating enough money to replace about 80 percent of his salary, largely through advertising, affiliate links, and guest posting for other sites.

Since the layoff, J. Money has further ramped up his revenue by devoting at least 12 hours a day to his website and related projects. Now he's trying to find ways to scale back his work schedule to a more sustainable level without compromising his output. "My goal was to survive, to make enough to work full time for myself, and now that I'm doing that, my new goal is to have more time," he says.

Amy Stringer-Mowat is on a similar trajectory: After turning into a booming business, she is now thinking about how to continue to run it while having more time for herself, especially since she is about to become a mom. During the recession, Stringer-Mowat lost her full-time job as an architect and started freelancing in retail design. In May 2010, on a whim, she posted state-shaped cutting boards that she designed for her wedding on Etsy.

Within a few months, she was featured in several magazines and holiday gift guides and sold thousands of cutting boards. "I didn't realize there would be such a mass-appeal for state-shaped things," she says. Her background in architecture and manufacturing techniques (as well as access to the machinery) made it relatively easy to ramp up production.

By Kimberly Palmer

usnews.com

Tips For Creating Your Custom Resume

For most people, the assumption is that one resume fits all, which is exactly why you should be customizing your resume to the job you’re applying for. Your resume should stand out from the rest, and when you have tailored it to the position you’re applying for, your chances of being

It’s tempting to use a resume template, especially since there are hundreds available, but this won’t really help you. Do you really want your resume to look just like thousands of others? Probably not. Change it up a bit and design your own. Just don’t take it too far— keep it simple and easy to read.

Job descriptions will use words or phrases to describe the ideal candidate, including industry jargon, so reproduce this by using the same wording in your profile and throughout your resume. Remember, it’s not always the hiring manager that reviews a resume first. Instead, many times it is an internal HR team comprised of people who are not experts in your field. A quick scan for keywords may be all the attention your resume will get, so if you don’t have the right keywords included, you could be quickly passed up.

Meanwhile, always proofread your own work. Just one error can drastically change the way people see your resume, and it can affect your future job prospects with the company. Putting your resume down for a few hours or for a day, then re-reading it, can give you a completely fresh perspective.

By a similar token, don’t forget to let someone else read over your cover letter and your resume. While a spellcheck function is a handy tool, it doesn’t mean it’s going to catch all mistakes, so get a friend to check it out for you and let you know if there are any errors that need to be fixed, as well as anything you may have forgotten to include.

If you want to incorporate multimedia and portfolio materials into your resume, a site like can be invaluable. The site and others like it allow you to add audio and video, as well as graphs and even samples of your work. This can help you create a multidimensional resume that stands out from the rest.

While Times New Roman or Arial font is the standard option that most people use out of habit, some hiring managers and recruiters dislike them and feel they are overused. Georgia is an excellent choice; it’s easy on the eyes for computer reading. Layout is also important. Keep the paragraphs or sections fairly short. Using short paragraphs, bullet points, and subheadings will make things far simpler to read.

Most importantly, the content of your resume is what will gain the attention of a hiring manager. The details of a custom resume are what can make you stand out against the competition.

Lindsay Olson is a founding partner and public relations recruiter with and a niche job board for public relations, communications and social media jobs.

By Lindsay Olson

y.usnews.com

Negotiation Interests and Positions

When two people take opposing sides on any particular issue in a dispute, they both often refuse to budge from their divergent viewpoints. The end result is a stalemate. If a solution is found then both will win.

The basic reason why many people fail to find agreement is that each has taken what is known as a '.' One wants something that the other doesn't. Thats usually the basic reason.

It's like kids in a playground yelling back and forth, 'Can too!' followed by the equally persuasive reply of, 'Cant too" We often see this grown-up version resonate in negotiations as well. The crucial question that neither party has asked the other, is to explain the reason and motivation behind their position. The motivating forces or reasons which underlie their negotiation positions are what we refer to as their ''. Interests are the 'why' or the basis for the negotiation position.

The main problem is that the people involved in a dispute always know the positions of the parties, but they often neglect to understand why the other person has taken this position in the first place.

There's a classic example which illustrates how our knowing the other person's interests might overcome positions. Two men seated together in a building are at odds on whether to keep a window open or closed. Hearing this ongoing feud, a third person enquires about the dispute. One gentleman demands that the window be closed to avoid a draft. The second gentleman wants the window open for the fresh air. The third person then goes into the next room and opens a window. This simple solution resolves the problem by providing fresh air to one of the parties while negating the issue of the draft for the other. A creative solution is applied by considering a smart solution which happily satisfies both their interests.

Negotiation interests largely relate to basic human needs. They are powerful influences in our decision making processes. Interests not only include those tangible desires which correspond to the specific problem at hand such as increasing sales or productivity. They also link to our more basic human emotions,that are less obvious to the participants. These basic emotional needs are couched in our psyche, but some examples might include our need for security, empowerment, inclusion, control, or recognition. These intangible needs illustrate what may well be overlooked when considering the interests of our. We might even neglect to realistically consider our own basic human needs when trying to define or describe our interests to someone else. They are all equally valid and just as important.

It's vital to ferret out all the underlying information to determine not only our interests, but the interests of the other side. Let's take a look at how we might accomplish this process.

What We Need to Know

• What's the issue? We must be absolutely clear we understand the issue or problem by stating it clearly. Both parties should be in agreement on the fundamental issues at stake. They need to do this before they even attempt to resolve the issues.They will otherwise be at cross purposes and resolution will be extremely difficult if not impossible. This is the first item where both parties have to find mutual agreement.
• Having defined the problem, it is equally crucial we understand what obstacles are preventing us from solving our dilemma. Each side will relate both similar and dissimilar obstacles that are acting as barriers to finding We both need to fully understand all the specific obstacles involved. If we neglect to perform this crucial step, both parties will not fully appreciate all the obstacles which prevent them from achieving closure.
• Separation - Both parties need to take a step back. When confrontational disputes linger, there is a tendency of personal animosity. We begin to take the matter too personally and a highly charged atmosphere surrounds what could be literally described as verbal combat. The participants need to separate themselves from the problem and to restore some degree of objectivity.
• What are your negotiating interests? Our interests include those tangible needs or what we might consider as the underlying mechanical components of the problem. Payment terms, transportations costs and scheduling are some of the issues which can be addressed at one level. Other interests, such as trust or anxiety, which also relate to our business interests, are equally relevant in terms of their importance. Caution should be observed as either party could have a different opinion about the degree of importance they attach to each other's interests.
• Problem Solving. By understanding the problem and the obstacles which need to be overcome,together with fully understanding each other's needs and interests. the possibility of finding a solution is then greatly enhanced. The approach to problem solving needs to be addressed through a mutual perspective of both parties' unique and somewhat different circumstances. Most negotiation problems can be broken down into different components, lessening the strength of any obstacles which lay in the path to a mutually agreeable negotiated resolution.

Summary

All negotiation positions are supported by interests. Only by knowing and defining these interests can we really be effective in clearly appreciatiating and understanding the full extent of the dispute. This approach applies to every kind of dispute whether it is a business venture, a dispute with a co worker, or even within the fabric of our everyday lives

. negotiations.com/